KISDI Finds Generative AI Becoming Part of Everyday Life for Users, While Non-Users Continue to Face High Barriers (detail)

※ URL(Korean): https://www.kisdi.re.kr/bbs/view.do?bbsSn=114983&key=m2101113055776&pageIndex=1&sc=&sw=

KISDI STAT Report (26-05)
Analysis of Generative AI User Groups: Deepening Use vs. Stagnant Public Awareness

KISDI Finds Generative AI Becoming Part of Everyday Life for Users, While Non-Users Continue to Face High Barriers
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▲ The user base for generative AI is expanding from predominantly men and people in their 20s–40s to women and older age groups
▲ Experienced users are moving beyond productivity tools toward integrating generative AI into their daily lives
▲ More than 78% of non-users remain in the low-awareness group, with little meaningful improvement in public awareness over the past year
▲ Policy support is needed to demonstrate the practical benefits of generative AI and provide tailored education to prevent digital exclusion

The Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI, President Sangkyu Rhee) recently published its **KISDI STAT Report (26-05)**, *Analysis of Generative AI User Groups: Deepening Use vs. Stagnant Public Awareness*. The report analyzes generative AI user groups using data from the Korea Media Panel Survey collected between 2024 and 2025.

As generative AI rapidly transforms society and emerges as a key driver of national digital competitiveness, new challenges have also arisen in the form of widening disparities between user groups. Against this backdrop, the study classifies users according to their experience with and continuity of generative AI use during the early stage of mass adoption and examines changes in the demographic characteristics and usage patterns of each group. It also analyzes changes in awareness among potential users—non-users who account for more than 70% of all respondents—to identify policy implications for narrowing the digital divide.

The findings show that the user base for generative AI is expanding beyond its initial concentration among men and people in their 20s to 40s to include more women and older adults. In particular, newly adopted users accounted for 16.8% of respondents in 2025, substantially exceeding the proportion of continuing users at 7.7%, indicating that the overall user base is broadening.

A notable finding concerns the changing usage patterns of continuing users. While they initially adopted generative AI primarily for work and study, they are increasingly using it for everyday purposes such as hobbies (11.4%) and casual conversation (4.4%), suggesting that generative AI is becoming part of their daily digital lives. The share of users subscribing to paid AI services also increased from 14.0% in 2024 to 19.5% in 2025, indicating more advanced and sustained use of AI services.

By contrast, awareness among potential users, who account for 72.9% of all respondents, showed little meaningful improvement over the past year. More than 78% of non-users reported either having no knowledge of generative AI or only having heard of it without understanding its practical use. Although statistical testing detected a slight year-on-year difference, the actual effect size (d = 0.03) was negligible, suggesting that a substantial awareness gap remains between widespread public discussion of generative AI and its practical recognition among the general population.

Han Eunyoung, Research Fellow at KISDI, noted that while people with experience using generative AI are expanding and deepening their use across a wider range of activities, most non-users still do not recognize its practical value. She warned that this imbalance between user groups could lead to more significant information and digital divides in the future.

To address these disparities and improve public awareness, the report recommends strengthening policy support for potential users by promoting the tangible benefits of generative AI, improving access to AI technologies, and providing tailored education programs that reflect users' needs.

The report is available for download from the KISDI website ([www.kisdi.re.kr](http://www.kisdi.re.kr)).

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KISDI Finds Generative AI Becoming Part of Everyday Life for Users, While Non-Users Continue to Face High Barriers